The winter storm that’s heading our way may just a few days before Christmas may likely impact your holiday travel plans, as well as your farm operations for the next several days.
“The blowing snow, the visibility and the drifting – that is what’s going to be an issue,” says Hoosier Ag Today’s Chief Meteorologist Ryan Martin. He says the arctic front that’s bringing the winter storm with it should arrive in Indiana on Thursday night.
“My best timing right now says that we stay above freezing and we don’t really see anything of major significance until sunset on Thursday,” says Martin. “Then we’re going to be looking at a sharp drop-off in temperatures probably somewhere between sunset and midnight – and when I say sharp drop-off, I’m talking about temperatures going from the low-to-mid 30’s to probably near zero.”
Martin says snowfall totals will vary across the state.
“Thursday night through Friday – let’s just say midday – I think we end up with a coating to an inch to two – maybe three inches over the southern part of Indiana,” according to Martin. “The rest of the state can be in that two-to-seven range by the time we get to Friday midday. However, then whether the snow continues and what the lake-effect does could boost totals in the northern half to northern third of the state of further as we finish out Friday going through Saturday.”
Most of all, Ryan says the wind gusts will the biggest problem.
“That’s my number one concern here rather than the snowfall itself,” says Martin. “I think the winds right around sunset again on Thursday could be 20 to 40 miles an hour sustained. I expect those winds to stay very strong through Saturday mid-to-late morning. We will then see gusts about 55 miles an hour – so that’s a problem even if we would only end up with three or four inches. Drifts, gusty winds and visibility issues could be a statewide problem at this point.”
Click BELOW to hear the full conversation with Hoosier Ag Today’s Chief Meteorologist Ryan Martin about the timeline of the winter storm and what to expect with weather conditions throughout Christmas weekend.
